In October, Sharon Stephens drove a community outreach van to the retirement office in downtown Baton Rouge to assist senior citizens with electricity bills.

As the driver of one of the mobile units intended to broaden the reach of social services across East Baton Rouge Parish, Stephens has already seen the impact of her work.

“Arriving at the site, the excitement on people's faces when they pull up makes me smile,” Stephens said.

She drives one of the two large vans rolled out about 18 months ago to help Baton Rouge residents apply for assistance for payment of rent, mortgages, medical services, utility bills and more.

The mobile units are a project of the Metro-Parish Division of Human Development & Services and the Office of Social Services. They assist people who don't have access

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